The recent storms and typhoon in the Philippines has clearly showed us the power of nature and how we stand against uncontrolled air and water. When water is present in such a huge quantity, it can never be left uncontrolled, but in case nature unleashes its wrath, then all we can do is, wait for it to pass by. Most manmade huge water reservoirs such as dams and the unearthly huge sized water tanks we can witness in the mega factories are built to remain under control. With a thousand different liquid level indicators, the water levels and pressures are constantly monitored.

Keeping a fair supply of water in the factories and other huge complexes is no child’s play. The vast amount of water can be very dangerous to handle. In the olden times when there were no advanced liquid level measuring devices available, they used various means of measuring. The most dangerous and the most widely practiced method were to climb on the roof and look inside the tank. Many precious lives have been lost in this practice as people mostly lost their balance and fell inside the huge water filled tank. To keep a look out for any such accidents, normally two people were allowed to perform the task. One person would lean over the edge while the other would keep a look out and hold the rope if they used it.

As the factories became more developed and better managed, they started looking for other options to handle this dangerous task. A steel chain came into use suspended over the tank’s mouth with a pulley. But it was not a good practice because the steel chain would soon start getting rusty and would contaminate the water. So it became necessary to develop a reliable device that would enable the staff to measure the water levels and still be free from all risks and hazards. As the use of technology became more involved in industrial equipment, the ultrasonic level indicator came into being. Today this gadget has been improved and remodeled for better performance and is being widely used in the factories and many other commercial places. Even many home owners of the United States have now started owning it and it can be found in many US homes. The ability to measure liquids from outside the tank’s walls has made it the ultimate measuring device in homes and commercial usage.